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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · game · present · spring · straw · capital · can · stock

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. present — the time now
  3. spring — the season
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stock — shares
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. present — a gift
  8. can — a tin
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. can — a tin
  12. spring — a coil
  13. present — there
  14. capital — a city
  15. stock — goods
  16. game — wild animals
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. capital — money
  20. game — a match
  21. spring — of water
  22. fine — high quality
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fine — all right

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com